The Hunter
by Jennrosee
Summary: A werewolf huntress learns the truth about what really lurks in the La Push forest. Entry for the TwiFicPics All Hallows Eve Banner/Drabble Challenge.


This was an entry for the TwiFicPics All Hallows Eve Banner/Drabble Challenge. Entries had to be under 1000 words. Visit the TwiFicPics website to see the banner its based off of.

Thanks to the lovely BelleDean and batgirl8986 for their thoughts!

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><p><strong>Title:<strong> The Hunter  
><strong>Based <strong>**On**: Banner #4  
><strong>Word <strong>**Count:** 999

The light of the full moon peeks through the tops of the dense trees as their leaves rustle in the breeze. It's the only light guiding me, and I'm grateful for it. Because of the ever constant cloud cover, on most nights I have no light at all.

My entire life I've been warned to avoid the woods that surround La Push. They said something dangerous lived out here, but we knew it was just a local, Native American legend – a small town story that was meant to keep children in their beds at night and provided teenagers with hours of middle-of-the-night entertainment as they searched for the mythical creature.

I was one of those teenagers once, coming out here with my friends, hunting the creature during the full moon. Little did we know, we would eventually find what we were looking for.

We heard the growl first; then we saw his form – part-man, part-wolf. We ran, never stepping foot in these woods again. Well, all but one of us, that is.

Not long after our sighting, local teenagers began disappearing. They were considered runaways – and since no one wants to live in this Podunk town anyway, the town's folk weren't suspicious – but we knew the truth. They'd heard our story and began searching themselves, never to return. Then my best friend disappeared, and I became obsessed with finding the creature again. That's why, every full moon, I come here and hunt him.

I move slowly, deliberately through the forest, careful not to make a noise that might give away my position, but the dry, fall leaves that cover the ground make stealth difficult as they crunch under the pressure of each step I take.

But it doesn't really matter. He knows I'm out here. And he's hunting me, too.

An ax is my only protection. I learned long ago that silver bullets do nothing to stop him. The only way to kill him is to cut off his head. I'll have to let the Hollywood directors in on that piece of information at some point.

I hear a thump to my left, and I move toward it. I raise my ax, ready to finally collect my prize – the murdering bastard's head – when a low growl rumbles over my shoulder, and I realize it's a trap.

With a muffled voice, he speaks. "I win."

Before I can react, he spins me around to face him, and I fall back. He collapses on top of me, pinning me to the ground. I pound on the monster's chest with my fists, trying with all my might to push him off.

"Edward, you're such a cheater!"

He chuckles and pulls off his werewolf mask. "And you're a sexy Little Red Riding Hood."

"Werewolf hunter," I correct him. "Get it right, bud!"

"_Right._ Whatever you say." Edward smiles and kisses me. "I like this game. We should play it more often."

I relax under him. "I agree, but can it not be in the middle of the woods next time. It's creepy out here."

"What are you scared of, some stupid legends? There's nothing out here, and there're no missing kids. And besides, if there were, I'd protect you."

"Really, with what? Your big, strong muscles?" I tease, poking his lanky arm with my finger.

"Are you insinuating that I'm too skinny? I'm hurt, Bella." Edward puts his hand against his chest, rolls off of me, and falls onto his back. "My poor heart."

I giggle and roll onto my side, leaning on my elbow. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I like my men skinny."

"Oh? I guess that _is_ a good thing then." Edward pushes himself up onto his side, facing me. "Not that this whole Little Red Riding Hood get-up isn't sexy, because it is, but I'd really like to get you out of it. Well, except the cape and the boots. Those can stay on."

He leans in and kisses me, and I fall back onto the leaf-covered ground. He trails kisses up to my ear and then down along my neck.

I'm lost in his sensual assault when the sound of crunching leaves in the distance brings me back to our surroundings. "Edward, did you hear that?" I whisper.

"Just a squirrel," he mumbles into my neck.

He's probably right, and I'm quickly distracted once again by his lips on my neck. He begins slowly untying the lace on my corset when the sound of a breaking tree branch echoes through the silence behind us.

Edward pulls back and looks out into the surrounding darkness. I futilely reach for my plastic ax, and Edward looks down at me. "Could be a bear. Maybe we should go."

He stands and pulls me up, and we head off in the opposite direction of the sound, creating our own noise as we trip over tree roots, laugh at each other, and kick up dried leaves.

My cape falls from my neck, and I turn around to pick it up. Edward stops to wait for me, and we realize the sounds continue to echo behind us, and they're growing closer.

"C'mon. This is getting weird," Edward says, taking my hand.

As we continue on, the tops of the trees begin to rustle, following us as we move through the forest. Edward pulls me along, and we move faster, on the verge of a run, unable to see what is stalking us from above. The rustling quickly shifts to a violent shaking, and as we wind around the trees, a large form pounces from above, landing in front of us, halting us in our tracks.

The monster slowly rises up and towers over us in height; the shape of his hairy body and ripped La Push High School t-shirt reflect that he had once been human.

We slowly back away, but the monster snarls, exposing his fangs, and lunges at us.

Edward and I run.

I guess the legends really are true.


End file.
